A red X on the pavement marks the spot where Daguerre captured the first human faces on film, soon to be commemorated with a plaque.
PARIS UNVEILS PLAQUE FOR WORLD'S FIRST PHOTO PORTRAIT
*Paris will mark the spot where Louis Daguerre captured the first human faces on film. The ceremony follows an 18‑month forensic hunt that finally nailed down the exact pavement stone.*
Paris is preparing to cement a piece of visual history with a plaque on the Boulevard du Temple. The stone will mark the exact spot where Louis Daguerre, in 1838, captured the first human faces on a photographic plate—a shoeshine boy and his client frozen in a ten‑minute exposure. The image, hailed by physicist François Arago as an example of the unforeseen, launched photography as a global medium.
The location was lost for nearly two centuries until a 2024 team led by producer Maximilien Van Aertryck embarked on a forensic hunt. Armed with drones, long measuring tapes, and 3‑D scans, they sifted through maps, paintings, and real‑estate records to triangulate the spot. Their effort culminated in a red X painted on a paving stone, now set to be commemorated by the city.
What did Daguerre’s 1838 image capture?
In 1838 Louis Daguerre photographed a shoeshine boy and his client on the Boulevard du Temple. The daguerreotype required up to ten minutes of exposure, so only the two who stood perfectly still appeared. The scene shows spring leaves on plane trees, a chest of tools, and the patron’s foot on a box. François Arago later noted the genre’s reliance on the unforeseen when he presented the image to the Assemblée Nationale. The French state bought the rights and offered the invention as a free gift to the world.
How did a 2024 documentary team locate the spot?
Producer Maximilien Van Aertryck, known for work with Ruben Östlund, and colleagues Axel Danielson and Kalle Boman launched an 18‑month quest in June 2024. After dismissing the Filles du Calvaire Métro stop, they combed archival prints, paintings, real‑estate registers, and topographical maps. Haussmann’s mid‑19th‑century demolition of the area complicated matters. They identified three surviving buildings from Daguerre’s era, then handed data to two architectural firms. Using a 3‑D scan of the square, the firms triangulated a point a few feet apart, prompting the team to split the difference and paint a red X on the paving stone.
Why does the original plate no longer exist?
The Bavarian National Museum in Munich once held the original daguerreotype plate that Daguerre sent to King Ludwig I. Restoration attempts during the Second World War badly damaged the plate, leaving it unusable. The only physical trace now is a 1930s photograph of the daguerreotype taken by MoMA curator Beaumont Newhall. Daguerre’s workshop on today’s Rue Léon‑Jouhaux and his Diorama theatre both burned in 1839, erasing further primary evidence of the scene.
What will the plaque ceremony mean for Paris?
On October 15, the City of Paris will unveil a plaque at the red‑X spot, honoring the shoeshine pair as the world’s first photographic portrait sitters and inadvertent photobombers. Van Aertryck said he hopes the public will claim the site and use it as a launchpad for new creativity, even joking that it could spawn a million selfies. The plaque turns a century‑old mystery into a tangible landmark, linking modern selfie culture to the birth of image‑making.
Frequently asked questions
When will Paris unveil the plaque for Daguerre's first portrait?
The City of Paris will unveil the plaque on October 15.
Who led the modern search for the Daguerre photograph location?
Producer Maximilien Van Aertryck, along with Axel Danielson and Kalle Boman, led the 18‑month quest.
What remains of the original Daguerre image today?
The original plate was damaged during WWII; only a 1930s photograph of the plate taken by MoMA curator Beaumont Newhall remains.
The plaque will turn a fleeting 19th‑century moment into a permanent waypoint for anyone who walks the boulevard. It bridges Daguerre’s pioneering exposure time with today’s instant selfie culture, reminding Parisians that every iconic image begins with a single, patient pause. As the city gathers on October 15, the stone will stand as proof that history can be reclaimed, measured, and celebrated in the present.
Sources: Hacker News, The New Yorker – “The First Candid” (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/10/19/the-first-candid)